Manfreda plant named ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique  Manfreda  plant named ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ characterized by long arching foliage with silvery-blue-green foliage having irregular greyed-purple spotting. The flowers of burgundy tepals, filaments and styles generate large volumes of nectar and are highly attractive to hummingbirds.

Botanical classification: Manfreda undulata (Klotzsch) Rose.

Variety denomination: ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct Manfreda plant,Manfreda ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ hybridized by the inventor at a wholesaleperennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA as a result of a selfing ofManfreda ‘Chocolate Chips’ (not patented). The individual seedling wasone selected from a cross on Apr. 15, 2011 that batch originally sown onAug. 1, 2011. Through trials at the same nursery the plant wasoriginally assigned the breeder code Manf-11-06-20. The new plant hasbeen successfully asexually propagated initially by division at the samenursery in Zeeland, Mich. and also by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture.Both methods of asexual propagation systems have been found to producestable and identical plants that maintain all the unique characteristicsof the original plant.

No plants of Manfreda ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ have been sold, under thisor any name, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to thefiling of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant beenmade prior to the filing of this application with the exception of thatwhich was disclosed or sold within one year of the filing of thisapplication, and was either derived directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Manfreda ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ differs from its parent as well as allother Manfreda, Agave and ×Mangave known to the applicant. The mostsimilar known Manfreda cultivar is ‘Chocolate Chips’ (not patented).Compared with ‘Chocolate Chips’ the new plant has wider and more silveryfoliage. Compared with ×Mangave ‘Moonglow’ U.S. Plant patent applicationSer. No. 15/330,178 the new plant has smaller spotting, broader and moreundulated foliage. Compared with ×Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ (not patented) thenew plant is larger in habit, has larger spotting on broader and longerleaves with more undulation. Compared with ×Mangave ‘Jaguar’ the newplant has more undulated foliage with larger burgundy spotting. Comparedwith ×Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’ the new plant has thinner, less broadfoliage, and the spotting is larger and less dense.

The new plant, ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’, is unique from all of these Agave,×Mangave and Manfreda known to the inventor by the following combinedtraits:

-   -   1. Long, horizontal to arching, silvery-blue-green foliage.    -   2. Foliage develops irregular greyed-purple spotting throughout        upper and lower surfaces when plant is grown with exposure to        ultraviolet light;    -   3. Moderate to rapid growth rate with good natural pup        production;    -   4. Burgundy flowers with long filaments and style on stiff, tall        scapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe new plant including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a one-year-old plant having been grown in a containeroutdoors in Raleigh, N.C.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower of four-year-old new plant inflowering in a greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Manfreda ‘MintChocolate Chip’, has not been observed under all possible environments.The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a two-year old plant in a commercial wholesalegreenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer asneeded.

-   Botanical classification: Manfreda undulata.-   Variety denomination: ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’.-   Parentage: Manfreda ‘Chocolate Chips’ as female (seed) parent and    ‘Chocolate Chips’ as male (pollen) parent.-   Propagation: Division and sterile shoot-tip tissue culture.-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About 21 days.-   Growth rate: Moderate to rapid.-   Crop time: About 10 to 14 weeks to finish during lengthening spring    days from an established 25 mm tissue culture plug to a 65 mm    diameter container.-   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching, with roots up to 15 cm    long.-   Root color: Nearest RHS 158C.-   Plant shape and habit: Succulent herbaceous perennial with basal    rosettes of about 50 leaves radially emerging and arching from    central rhizome extending below the base of the plant when grown in    containers, producing a radially-symmetrical, round mound.-   Plant size: Foliage height about 22.0 cm tall from soil line to the    top of the leaves and about 60.0 cm wide at the widest point    slightly below base.-   Foliage description: Gladiate; simple; margins finely dentate with    flexible teeth, teeth about 1.0 mm long and spaced about 2.0 mm    apart; apex narrowly acute; base truncate, sessile, clasping.-   Number of leaves: About 50 per plant.-   Leaf blades: Finely dentate; to about 39.0 cm long, about 5.0 cm    wide at base and 1.5 mm thick, average about 35.0 cm long, 3.8 cm    wide and 4.0 mm thick; typically conduplicate toward base slightly    flattening distally, with coarse undulation about 1.0 cm deep and    bi-laterally symmetrical; glabrous and glaucous adaxial and abaxial;    with dark burgundy spots to about 2.0 cm long and 0.5 cm across.-   Foliage fragrance: None observed.-   Leaf blade color:    -   -   Adaxial (young).—Nearest RHS N138B with spots intensifying            with ultraviolet light exposure to nearest RHS 187A; Abaxial            (young): Between RHS 138A and RHS 13BB with spots            intensifying with ultraviolet light exposure to between RHS            187B and RHS 187A.        -   Adaxial (mature).—Between RHS 137C and RHS N138B with spots            intensifying with ultraviolet light exposure between RHS            139A and RHS N187A and a light glaucous overtone of nearest            a blend between RHS 190A and RHS 191C; Abaxial (mature):            between RHS 137C and RHS 138A with spots of nearest RHS            139A; and a light glaucous overtone of nearest a blend            between RHS 190A and RHS 191C.        -   Teeth.—Nearest RHS 158D.-   Petiole: Sessile.-   Veins: Parallel; not distinct abaxial or adaxial.-   Peduncle: Terete; glaucous; glabrous; stiff; strong; with cauline    leaves nearly adpressed along surface; about 160 cm long and 1.5 cm    diameter at base; attitude upwards, erect.-   Peduncle color: With at base between RHS N187A and RHS N187B,    distally between RHS N187C and RHS N187D with undertones of nearest    RHS N138C.-   Pedicel: Terete; glaucous; glabrous; stiff; strong; about 6.0 mm    long and 2.5 mm diameter; attitude mostly upright.-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 138B.-   Cauline leaves: About 18 per scape; gladiate to lanceolate; simple,    fleshy, glabrous; margins finely dentate with flexible teeth;    narrowly apex acute; base truncate, sessile, clasping; proximally    about 20.0 cm long and about 1.2 cm wide at base, decreasing    distally; color adaxial and abaxial same as basal leaves.-   Buds one day prior to opening: Elongated globose; terminal bulb    about 2.8 cm long and about 1.0 cm across; proximal tube about 2.5    cm long and 6.0 mm across; overall about 5.2 cm long.-   Bud color: Nearest RHS 138A.-   Flower description: Perfect, actinomorphic; from flower base to tip    of anthers about 15.0 cm long and opening to about 13.0 cm across;    lasting about 3 to 4 days per flower; flowering period about three    weeks in late winter in Michigan greenhouse; producing abundant    nectar; approximately 36 flowers per scape; attitude mostly upright.-   Flower fragrance: Very faint to none.-   Tepals: Six in two sets of three; glaucous abaxial; glabrous both    adaxial and abaxial; acute apex and fused in basal 11.0 mm; outer    set recurved about 3.2 cm long, about 6.0 mm wide above fusion    point; inner set about 3.2 cm long and 6.0 mm wide at base.-   Tepal color: Adaxial nearest RHS 187A, abaxial between RHS 138C and    RHS N138B with undertone of nearest RHS N187 and pronounced midrib    of nearest RHS 138B.-   Androecium: Six.    -   -   Filaments.—Six; stiff, straight, divaricate; about 12.0 cm            long and 2.0 mm diameter at base; color between RHS 187C and            RHS 187B.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed; longitudinal; about 16.0 mm long and 1.5            mm diameter before opening; after dehiscence curving            backward; color between RHS 177A and RHS 178A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 18A.-   Gynoecium: Single.    -   -   Style.—Extending to 9.8 cm long and 2.0 mm diameter at base;            color between RHS 177A and RHS 178A.        -   Stigma.—Globose, apex tri-lobed; about 2.5 mm tall and 3.0            mm across top; color side nearest RHS N186B; top stigmatic            surface in tri-pointed star, color nearest RHS N187A.        -   Ovary.—Inferior.-   Fruit: Dehiscent, tri-valved, loculicidal capsule; apex abruptly    acute; base slightly tapered; about 3.8 cm long and 1.8 cm across.-   Fruit color: When immature nearest RHS N138A; at dehiscence RHS    N199A along veins and RHS 201C in furrowed depressions between septa    nearest RHS 199D in remainder of capsule.-   Seed: Flattened, near round to semi-circular; about 100 to 200 per    capsule; about 5.0 to 6.0 mm across and about 1.0 mm thick; color    nearest RHS 202A.-   Disease resistance: Manfreda ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ has not been    observed to be resistant to diseases beyond that which is normal for    ×Mangave, Agave or Manfreda. The plant is xeromorphic and survives    well with minimal water once established. The new plant is hardy at    least from USDA zone 7b to 10. Full extent of winter hardiness has    not been tested.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Manfredaplant named ‘Mint Chocolate Chip’ as herein described and illustrated,suitable for the garden or as a potted plant in the garden or home.